


Raindrops

by Aestheticdenbrough



Category: IT (1990), IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: 1990, Ben has insecurities over his weight, Birthday, Birthday Present, Eddie tries to help, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Georgie beats Henry up like a good boy, Georgie completes his mission, Henry bitch, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other, Rainbows, Storm - Freeform, eddie is gay, eddie likes david bowie bc ga y, eddie's pills, finality, georgie misses his mom a lot, ghost!georgie, his bird book too, mike's dog, richie tozier is jewish, speech, stans bar mitzvah, takes place in book canon, the day of georgie's passing, transition period, we hate alvin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-07 08:04:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15214724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aestheticdenbrough/pseuds/Aestheticdenbrough
Summary: Georgie Denbrough dies at the age of six years old, his life leaving at the hands at a demon from space who resides in the sewer beneath his town. He leaves behind a grieving brother and his equally struggling friends. The young boy takes it upon himself to help each one of them, finding that his motives may have been driven by much more than a childish kindness.





	1. Raindrops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie appears in Bill's room mere hours after his passing, leaving Bill panicked.

The rain droplets patter against the window softly, a normally calming ambiance turning dreary. Bill sits silently in bed, body completely still as his brain tries to make sense of the situation his life has thrown at him this time.

His mother- she was in the hospital and had to be sedated. She'd been so in shock that she basically had to be _tranquilized_ , he thinks to himself, a terrifying thought. He'd been close to her, of course. She's his mother. But now she wasn't here and all he wanted to do was hug her until this was all okay. Until he woke up from whatever dream this was. His father down in the living room, Bill could hear the broken sobs. First time he'd heard his father cry. He decides that he doesn't like it, not at all. 

He forces himself up, walking over to the bathroom and looking in the mirror, he just looks _tired_. The dusty half moons under his eyes being the first indication, but it's evident through his entire face. He wants to sleep, but he knows he _must_ already be asleep. He grips the edge of the sink, grounding himself to realize that no matter how bizarre this is, it is real. He has to face it no matter how much he doesn't want to.

He takes a deep breath, running the water cold and splashing some over his face. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Something- or someone- dash behind him in his room. He stops the faucet and whipping around.

He steps out slowly, looking around as carefully as he can. "H-hello?" He calls out softly, keeping his voice as steady as he can. He shouldn't be scared. 

He hears an innocent giggle that sends a shiver down his spine, and he nearly slips on a little puddle left on his floor. "G-g-georgie?" He calls. His jaw drops when he sees a young translucent figure sitting on his chair, swinging his legs gleefully as he plays with a little paper airplane. 

"Billy!" The young boy calls out, tossing the airplane to his brother who is too shocked to catch it.

Bill's hands shake as he wraps his arms around his brother, or tries to, his own figure goes right through that of his "brother" standing before him. "G-georgie?" He asks again, now knowing that he _must_ definitely be dreaming. 

"You can't touch me, Billy, skin goes all sparkly," Georgie tells him, his little figure shimmering more than it was a second ago. 

"Y-you're- you're n-not real," Bill says quickly, stepping back, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. He backs into his bed, falling back on it and clutching fistfuls of the blanket to ground himself. 

"Billy, I am real," Georgie mumbles, sounding hurt. "I'm right here, just- not completely I guess," he says apologetically, looking at the floor as he scuffs his heels on the wood.

Bill grabs his walkie off the bedside table, knocking a tissue box to the floor. He spins the knob until he finds the channel he can usually contact Eddie with, "big b-bill to spaghetti? You th-there? Over" Bill asks, using the nicknames that have become nature since Richie started making them use them for the walkie talkies.

Eddie comes on the radio as soon as he hears it, Bill having told the losers about Georgie earlier that day when it had happened, and the worrier in him wanted to help his friend. "Yeah, I'm on, you okay, Bill? Over," Eddie replies, noting the shakiness he'd heard in Bill's voice.

"C-can you come over? J-just for a while? Over," Bill asks softly, sounding scared, which makes Eddie worry even more.

Eddie twinges at the thought of going over there, Bill had been home for days, and he also knows he may not be the best at comforting people. "Yeah, I'm on my way, Billy, over," he says softly, pushing away his own discomfort.

Eddie speeds over to the Denbrough's house, his skinny legs pedalling harder than they have in a while. He doesn't even knock, walking in the front door and up the stairs to bill's room, shivering as he walks past Georgie's room on the way to the staircase. 

He peeks into Bill's room before coming in slowly, holding his breath when he sees how pale and distressed Bill looks.

"E-eddie?" Bill asks, looking over but keeping one of his eyes on Georgie, now in the corner.

"Yeah, yeah, Billy I'm here," Eddie says softly, walking over to bill's side on the bed, putting a trembling hand on his back. "Are you okay? You look like you're seen a ghost."

Bill's full gaze snaps to his friend, "i-i-i-i, I think I h-have," he says quietly, breathing heavily and looking his friend square in the eye.

"What? Bill, are you sure you're not feverish? Seeing stuff?" Eddie says, pressing the back of his hand to bill's cheek, but not finding anything there.

Bill grabs Eddie's wrist, taking it from his face, pointing clumsily at the corner without looking over there himself again. "H-he's over there," he breathes out, a slight panic showing through his eyes.

"Bill, there's nobody there," Eddie says after studying the corner, holding bill's shoulders to make him look at him, "you're fine, no ghosts."

"E-eddie, he's there, I sw-swear," Bill insists, tears welling in his eyes, pulling closer to hug his friend, "I swear I s-saw him."

"Bill, I'm sorry. But really, you couldn't have. Georgie's dead," Eddie whispers, hugging Bill close, wishing he could be of more comfort to him. He really doesn't know how to help with grief. _God this is a nightmare. It's not fair._

"E-eddie?" Bill asks with wide eyes as he pulls back.

"Yeah, Billy?" Eddie asks, desperate to make this at least a little better.

"I think I a-actually want to be alone," he says softly.

Eddie looks surprised but concedes, nodding and stepping back. "Let me know if you need anything?" He reminds softly, backing towards the door, at least grateful to be able to escape from the awkward situation. 

Bill nods quietly in response, waiting until he can't hear Eddie's steps anymore. He lays back on his bed, his gaze flickering back to Georgie in the corner. "Th-that means you too," he mumbles. The small figure nods, dissipating into the air around himself.

 _God, I'm like the kid from the sixth sense_ , he thinks to himself with a cough.


	2. Bird Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie starts on his mission to help the people he cares about.

Stan sits cross legged on his bed, wiggling his toes in his socks happily, a small smile on his face as he reads through his journal, the pictures and descriptions of birds bringing him bliss. He doesn't hear the steps on the stairs but he does notice the breeze going past him as it ruffles his pages. 

He frowns and looks around, everything is closed. _Odd_ , he thinks to himself, finding the page he was already on, admiring a doodle of a Cardinal he'd done. 

Georgie had seen the frown on Mr. Uris's face as he came to the stairs, he'd bolted into Stan's room, looking around for a few moments to set the scene he needed to.

Stan heard a thumb and looks over to see the Torah on the floor, he quickly scrambles to pick it up, _it needs to be in place_ , he scans over the page it had opened to automatically, the place he'd last left off in his studying.

Donald opens the door a crack to peek in. He sees Stan reading from the page, a warm smile replacing his frown, proud of his son. He closes the door with a small puff of air and walks away.

_Crisis averted- well maybe not a crisis. But his dad is happy with him_ , Georgie thinks to himself with a small grin.

Georgie watches, he watches as Stan takes the book to his bed, flipping through the pages and mumbling the phrases to himself. Georgie swells with pride. Both in himself and in his brother's friend.

And with that, he keeps watching. Stan's family dinners where his father compliments how studious he's been over their salads, Stan's soft smiles and "I really don't know where all the motivation came from,". _Humble_.

And he watches up until Stan's Bar Mitzvah. When Stan stands in front of his friends and family and flawlessly reads off the words. _A man, he really has grown up_ , Georgie thinks to himself, smiling widely at him, he may not be visible but if he was he'd look like a proud parent.

He even watches as Stan pulls away from the podium, starting to analyze the people around him with a bite in his tone. He hears Stan's newfound _confidence_.

He hears the feedback the microphone chimes out as Stan tugs it further, shooting out words about how adults are the root of the problem.

He hears the piercing shriek of the mic as it's dropped to the ground, Richie's hands slapping together as he stands and claps for his friend's _bravery._

Georgie's smile wavers as Richie's mom makes him sit down again, the wrinkles forming on the shoulder of his ( _ugly_ ) blue suit.

He follows Stan out of the heavy double doors, slipping out when he does, not wanting to scare anyone with the doors seemingly opening themselves. 

He follows Stan all the way back to his room, Stan's hands on the sides of his head, hyperventilating, realizing the words he'd spit out, criticizing the people around him. He watches Stan sit on his bed and do something he'd never done before. Cry.

He watches Stan cry and his own lower lip trembles, this was something he never could have predicted, or stopped. He sits next to Stan, putting a hand on his back. Stan may not be able to see or hear him, but he's here. _God, Stan, I promise I'm here,_ he thinks to himself as he stays close to the shaking boy.

He sticks around as Stan's parents scold him, telling him to shower and go to bed early, how his father could hardly look at him. _They'll forgive him. Soon. I can feel it_ , he tells himself as Stan sulks off to the bath, hearing the shower run and his parents slow footsteps away.

Then, he goes to Stan's desk, finding his bird book. He brings it to Stan's bed, finding a specific page. _Cardinal, Cardinal, Cardinal_ , he thinks to himself, muttering the words as he leafs through the book to find the page he knows made Stan smile last time.

Stan comes out in his pajamas, cheeks red and eyes swollen, face drawn up in disappointment. Merely in himself. _A young boy shouldn't have to be disappointed in himself_.

He sees Stan's confused expression when he sees the book, a flicker of light coming to his eyes at the drawing of the bird in the corner, amongst the facts and photographs. The information that brings him _comfort._ Georgie watches as he slides under the covers, holding the book open, flipping page after page as he had when he was studying. As he had when he studied, almost, but this time with a smile.


	3. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie witnesses hurt he's never known about, enlisting Bill's help is all he knows to do.

Bev stands in front of the shelves of products, rubbing her knees together awkwardly. She wishes her mom was still around, she'd left months ago it seemed. She hears the jingle of the bell of the pharmacy, more people are here.

She grabs a box as fast as she can, no longer really caring about the contents. She shuffles to the counter, refusing to look Mr. Keene in the eye as she passes the money over. 

Georgie watches all of this, confusion crossing his face, he wishes he could read minds or even just talk to anyone but his brother. He loves his brother. So much. But he can't help him with everything that pops up, and surely he can't know that he's been going around meddling with his friends.

Georgie follows Beverly home, a place he's never actually been, he'd only met Bev recently, not even in a living state. All he knows is that his brother seems to care about her. My brother's friend is a friend of mine.

He awkwardly goes up the fire escape with her, a bit confused as to why this would be her entrance of choice. He slides in through her window, stumbling a bit. My clumsiness is the only reason I'm glad to be invisible. 

He watches her disappear into what he thinks is a bathroom. He doesn't follow. Too private. He hears crying, sobbing more like it. He wants anything more than to help but he thinks it'll have to wait for when she comes back out. He wants nothing to do with invading her privacy more than he already has.

She comes out a few minutes later, donning a pale nightgown, sniffling and rubbing the wetness on her face away. He watches her curl up on her bed on top of the covers. Her fingers curl around her key necklace, a fidget developed over all the time of wearing it.

Georgie wants nothing more than to just comfort her. This isn't about pushing a book to make her father proud- her father? Where was he? What was he doing? 

He wills himself through her bedroom door, a skill he's been working on in order to raise less suspicion around real people. He creeps through the living room, just neat enough to be tolerable but messy enough to give off an uncomfortable aura. 

He looks around for where her dad may be, before his eyes flicker to the source of a clink in the kitchen. He lets himself follow it, seeing him with a coke bottle, sipping from it once before making his way back to the couch, unknowingly having Georgie in tow.

Georgie watches him as he watches what seems to be a game, probably American football, which Georgie has very limited knowledge of. He watches the balding man get even more aggressive and heated at the screen over time, making Georgie feel funny inside.

Then, the landline starts ringing, and the man- Beverly's father- gets up with a grunt. He slams the glass bottle down in a way that makes Georgie flinch. He rants and raves on the phone and Georgie sympathizes with whoever is on the other end as he's intimidated just by listening.

He gathers enough to know that it's about money, something about rent, and something about gambling. Whatever it is makes Georgie's skin crawl. Georgie hears the phone slammed back on the router, and the man clomps over to Beverly's room with a posture that makes Georgie know he doesn't want to see whatever is about to happen.

Georgie hears a few sounds from the room over the next period of time, nothing pleasant. He doesn't know how long he'd sat curled up in a ball on the floor, his head in his knees.

He can't be seen but he feels _unsafe_. Bev is _unsafe_. He jumps when he hears the heavy footsteps pass by him this time. He peeks into Bev's room, she's laying there with a blank expression that makes Georgie's heart ache for her. 

He's unsure about what he can do, eyeing the red marks on her skin and he knows it must have been physical, he wants to make this better.

He realizes he does need to seek Bill's help, no matter how much he hates that he has to. He makes his way back to his old home, eyebrows set in determination, looking a bit silly on his six year old face. 

He finds Bill in his room, thankfully. "Billy?" He asks timidly, remembering the reaction the previous time.

Bill spins around in his chair, his eyes widening at the sight of his younger brother in ghost form again. It had been days since the original interaction. "Uh- the hell?" He asks in a breathy voice, using a word he's not supposed to simply because this is a situation that he doesn't want to be interrupted by his stutter. 

"Bill, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please don't ask why but I need you to call the police- it's Bev, her daddy, he's- he's _bad_ ," Georgie fumbles out softly, his eyes full of an innocent fear.

Bill seems to understand. He's seen the bruises, he'd never ask because she'd never tell. He takes Georgie's hand, pulling him to the landline downstairs, dialling the number for 911, and taking the phone to his face with a trembling hand.


	4. Rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie realizes something about Eddie and is unsure how to help him aside from showing some sort of support,

Georgie's always known that Eddie is unhappy at home. The way he gave relieved smiles when he was invited over literally _anywhere_ else. Georgie doesn't know why, but he does know that there's something, and he hopes and prays that it isn't something like what he'd heard in the Marsh household. 

He stands at the door to the Kaspbrak residence, where he realizes he's never actually been inside and he doesn't know what to expect. Knowing Eddie it's neat and tidy and absolutely spotless. He wills himself through the door, giggling to himself when he remembers that it tickles.

Nothing would have prepared Georgie for what the inside of Eddie's house was _really_ like. With the strewn around books and papers and seemingly nothing put away only in the entryway, Georgie already isn't sure what to make of Eddie's home life.

He steps into the kitchen where he hears voices, Eddie and Sonia sitting silently at the table eating sandwiches that look not so appetizing, cooking never having been Sonia's strong suit. Eddie looks down at his plate as he eats, seemingly never meeting his mother's eyes through the entire part of the meal that Georgie witnesses. 

He takes an empty seat, reassuring himself that it's absolutely impossible that either of them can see him at all, his passing being a cloak of invisibility. Physically and in other ways it seems, ever since Betty, the next child to go missing, had disappeared, Georgie has been forgotten by the majority of the town of Derry, Maine.

He sees Sonia look up at Eddie sternly, she hasn't said anything but he already sees Eddie's stomach drop, knowing that there's no chance that Eddie won't listen. Sonia is too intimidating, _evil even_ , Georgie decides from what he's heard about her.

Finally her shrill (even when she doesn't mean it to be) voice cuts the silence sharply. "It's almost time to take your pills, Eddie," she says, her gaze unmoving from his small face, he almost seems to have gone an ashen gray since she started speaking. "You look unwell. Extra dose today," she says simply as she eyes his complexion.

Eddie sighs, poking at his sandwich sadly without an argument. He had obviously hardly touched it- _no wonder he's so small_ , Georgie decides, looking up and down Eddie's small frame and deciding it must be because Eddie doesn't eat enough of his mother's awful cooking.

Eddie slides out from his seat, dumping his food in the garbage can, rinsing his plate and placing it carefully in the dishwasher. "I'll go take them, ma, I'll come say goodnight soon," he says quietly, slinking off to the bathroom where the medicine cabinet is mounted above the sink.

Sonia nods and keeps eating her sandwich. Georgie can't bear to share a room with her any longer, quickly following after Eddie.

Eddie looks himself in the mirror, taking the pills he always does. He fills a plastic cup with water and downs it all after the bitter capsules. He looks himself in the eye, his reflection bringing him disappointment. 

He knows the medicine is fake, it does nothing for him, good or bad. _Maybe it does a little bad- but he knows it doesn't do him any good_. He's even confronted his mother about them, and he still hasn't gotten the courage to simply stop taking them despite the hastle it ensues.

Eddie sighs and splashes the cool sink water on his face to snap himself out of it- _just a few more years until I'm out of here_ , he reminds himself. He gathers up the several bottles, shoving them all into their proper places, his mom checks them and sometimes even counts the pills inside, it's nerve-wracking.

Eddie turns away finally, done with his nightly ritual. He goes back to the kitchen where his mom is still chewing. He pecks her cheek as he always is made to do before bed. "Forgot to brush my teeth," he says quickly after he kisses her cheek, another nightly routine, he always says that, it prevents further interaction.

He goes back to the bathroom, pulling out the white toothbrush, wetting it and squeezing toothpaste onto it, wetting it again before turning off the sink and shoving it in his mouth. He does his best thinking when he's brushing his teeth, honestly.

Georgie watches all this, Eddie a well oiled machine in avoiding his abuser, that much is obvious. He does as she says and keeps to himself, Georgie is sure that Sonia probably hardly knows anything about Eddie at all.

Eddie goes up to his room, slipping on pajama pants and a shirt his mother has deemed inappropriate for public. As he gets ready for bed he gets out a tape, one he'd gotten for himself. It's a David Bowie tape, he smiles to himself and sticks it into his player, keeping the volume low. There's a reason he likes and resonates with the singer that he can't place. 

He folds his clean clothes, putting them away carefully, his entire dresser color coded for his own sanity's sake. He dances around his room as he tidies it, knowing she's likely to check it tomorrow, seeing as tomorrow is a Thursday, she always checks on Thursdays and he knows it.

Georgie watches in surprise. He'd never think of Eddie as so organized- or so scared all the time. He listens to the music, something he hasn't heard before, Eddie surely hasn't tried to show it to Bill, _Bill plays his music so loud I would have heard it_ , Georgie thinks to himself with a small giggle, fearing being heard for a moment before he remembers that it's impossible, which does seem to dampen his mood in the slightest.

Eddie finishes his cleaning, sighing to himself as he hums to the end of the song. He shuts off the tape player, taking the cassette out so he could hide it from Sonia again. Georgie hardly even understands why, _I'd ask Bill- but he'd probably say he'll "tell me when I'm older,_ Georgie sighs defeatedly.

Georgie watches Eddie slide into bed tiredly, looking at his corkboard, pictures of the losers strewn across it, obviously drawn hearts over a few of them- none on Bev. Not that Eddie doesn't love Bev- until it makes sense in Georgie's going brain. _Oh._

All he can do is hope Eddie can find his own confidence. He doesn't think the Derry police would listen as easily as they had with Beverly's father- Georgie shivers at the memory. Sonia seems good enough at playing pretend, and adults never seem to believe the kids over the adults. 

Georgie just wants to see Eddie _smile_. He wants Eddie to believe in himself too- _but how can I do that like this?_

Georgie slips out of the house, the atmosphere starting to get to him and really give him the creeps. It's surely lived in, _it's a mess_. But it doesn't feel like a home, more like a prison that Eddie's been banished to as punishment for not doing anything wrong.

He goes all the way back to his own house, right to his room, his heart sinking when the door is shut. He sees his Lego turtle broken on the floor, that just confuses and disappoints him. _Who's been in my room? And why'd they break it?_ He asks himself as he gets out a notebook and his broken, _mom would call them well loved_ , crayons.

At least he's still got all the colors, the six colors of a vibrant rainbow. _Always take place in the sky after it rains- did one appear that day?_ he thinks to himself, shaking his head as if to shake the thought away, too deep a subject for his young brain. 

He finishes the rainbow, he wishes he could have been neater, but he's never been good at coloring inside the lines. He draws little red hearts around it, trying to signify something, even if he can't completely wrap his head around it, just something tells him it's what he has to do. 

It's less of a _thing- more of a feeling_. He tears the drawing out of the lined notebook. He folds it into fourths, just as his brother folds his drawings when he gives them to people. He is carefully to put everything back where he'd found them. Though, on his way out, he waves his hand in the direction of the turtle, and when he looks back he finds it all back together and on his nightstand. He smiles and skips out of the house, the door closed behind him.

He goes back to the Kaspbrak residence, finding a sleeping Eddie. He wracks his brain for where Eddie keeps his tape. He remembers that it was in a bin under his bed, pulling it out near silently and slipping the drawing in next to the tape with a soft smile to himself.


	5. Georgie Takes On Bowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie sees how Bowers treats Ben, deciding to do something about it.

Georgie spends many of his quieter days in the library near the church where he's buried. He feels drawn to it and it just doesn't feel right to wander far. He hardly wandered far when he'd been alive and he wouldn't know where to start. All who wander may not be lost but he sure would be after less than five minutes out and about.

Sometimes he sees his older brother hanging out with a boy called Ben Hanscom. Not very attractive but obviously very kind. _And a friend of Bill's is a friend of mine._ ,

But many days, he notices, he just sees Ben alone at the same table, morning through night working his way through series after series of novels. He recognizes the stories, his brother's bookshelves stacked with the Goosebumps books, and he seldom would even tell Georgie a story or two from the bone chilling pages.

Bill got yelled at for that, his mother scolding him once when one about a monster who got you in his sleep gave Georgie night terrors. He hadn't _meant_ , to give Georgie night terrors, nor had Georgie blamed Bill for them despite what his older brother may think to this day.

Georgie usually sits in the windowsill across from Ben's table. He feels bad leaving him all alone, but he can't even be seen and he feels awful about it. He finally migrates to consistently sitting right in the cold, wooden chair next to Ben. Sometimes he tries to read over his shoulder but really he just sits beside the boy and tries to be a comforting presence.

Soon enough, he starts walking home with him. He can't help but pity the bigger boy when he makes shifty eyes around his surroundings as he walks, visibly nervous about walking on his route home. 

One day he learns why he always looks so shifty eyed on his way home, not because he was suspicious of the new town he lives in but because he is genuinely scared of that kid, Henry Bowers. 

Georgie knows about Henry. He sent Bill home crying silently more than once, the constant taunting and even physical attacks becoming too much. Georgie knows never to trust him, a truly awful scum of the earth type of person.

He follows close behind Ben, watching the taller boy closely, cringing when he notices Ben's presence despite the soft steps and the silence coming from him.

He hears the name the boy calls him. He wouldn't say it, one because it's a gross word, and two because it was used as an insult, and the only person he really insults is his brother and the two of them both know that that's all in good fun.

He notices that at least Henry doesn't hurt Ben physically, though he's slowly learned that the taunts hurt more. Physical wounds heal, but the names stick with people for years, possibly even forever. Georgie has never been bullied himself, nor would he likely ever now. He's seen other kids get bullied though, mostly the older ones. Hatred and malice seems to grow with age as far as Georgie can tell.

He follows Ben all the way home, hearing the older boy's soft sniffles and attempts not to cry. He wishes more than anything that he could make it better, but he practically doesn't exist, and there's a chance Ben doesn't even know if he ever existed and that's a sad thought for Georgie.

_Does Bill talk about me? Do his friends know about me? The kids at school?_ , he decides to check that out eventually, to see if people still remembered him, though they likely most definitely do, considering he'd always been such a bright presence for everyone when he was alive.

He stays outside on the porch as Ben fishes out his spare key and goes inside, not feeling sure about going in, he seems to have found Ben's main problem, Henry Bowers, and he's already fabricating a wonderful plan to take that boy down.

He watches through the window though, seeing Ben's conflicted expression as he looks in the cupboard in the kitchen. It brings a pang of guilt to Georgie's chest, Henry's names obviously getting to Ben and making him more insecure.

He sits on the porch, a cute little swing that's obviously not used much. He swings only slightly, moving it only just as much as the wind would if it were making it sway, not wanting to strike fear in anyone.

He sits there all night, seeing another boy go in, and two adult women, likely Ben's mother and another relative, bearing a strong resemblance to the boy. He doesn't hear much from inside, taking it as they don't talk to each other much, just as he witnessed in his own home when he'd come back.

He follows Ben to school the next morning, smiling when he sees the other older kids that he recognizes. He decides to leave Bill alone, not wanting to scare him again.

He follows them into the cool building, the air con hitting him hard as soon as he walks in. He goes all the way to the classroom that Ben does. He sits up on an empty desk, pulling his legs up to sit cross legged on it. 

He sits tiredly through the bell and the long lecture from the kind lady at the front of the class. Bill has talked about her before, talking about how she's generally nice but she's ignorant to the affairs of her students, she didn't even know when Georgie passed away. Bill hasn't missed a day of school since he got better.

The shrill screech of the bell rings through the school, signalling recess time. Even Georgie lights up at the sound of the recess bell and he could have left any time he wanted. He can't wait to play out the ideas he'd thought up all through the night before.

He follows closely behind Ben, feeling almost as if he's his guardian angel but only self proclaimed, as he is for all the losers. They reach the blacktop outside, most kids taking off their sweatshirts and light autumn jackets to bolt for the playground while Ben keeps his hoodie on and trudges over to the bench with his current book of choice.

Georgie doesn't want to start anything so he waits for when Henry inevitably comes and tries to mess with Ben. And as he guessed, Henry stalks over to the bench, a fiendish smile on his face as he stands right over Ben, looking down at him. 

"How's the book, tits?" He teases as he rips the paper back from Ben's grip. Anger bubbles up inside of Georgie just as it had when he'd dealt with Alvin or Sonia. Henry Bowers is an awful person, and it's all he can think about in this moment.

In his anger, Georgie pushes Henry forward, having been hoping the entire time since he came up with his game plan that in his state he could manipulate the world around him past just inanimate objects.

Henry stumbles backwards, a look of pure disgust crossing his face. Then, red hot anger crosses his eyes, "What the fuck did you do? You didn't even fucking move!" He shouts, coming back up to him.

Kids around them start to notice, looking over to see what's going on, albeit deciding that Henry was just doing what he normally does. And nobody ever tries to stop anything or help anyone else, which makes Georgie even more passionate about helping Ben in this moment.

He pushes Henry back again, moving to trip Henry onto the wood chips, wincing a little when Henry's face hits the ground. He feels a bit bad about it, but it was only in defense of Ben, and he knows how awful Henry treats him on a regular basis, as well as many others.

Henry seems to soften a bit, putting his tough face again after a moment of not. "You're off today, tits," he says pushing himself to his feet and wiping the wood chips off of himself.


	6. Coupon Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie gives Richie the nudge he needs to remember his mom's birthday.

Georgie has only ever known Richie Tozier to be forgetful, he tries his best but he can’t seem to tie his neurodivergent brain around the concept of remembering plans, or homework assignments, or even birthdays. 

The birthday of one Maggie Tozier is approaching and Richie seems completely unknowing, though on the day he decides to follow Richie home, even Georgie can see it as a post-it note on the fridge. As Richie throws the refrigerator door to find an afterschool snack, the note flutters to the floor, sliding down under the oven.

Georgie sighs to himself, chewing the inside of his left cheek in thought, he’d already chewed his lip to a pulp that would be bleeding if he were alive, but it heals quickly. He’s learned the better of chewing it too much in his anxiety. He slips to the floor, face almost touching the dusty tile of the kitchen floor. He pushes his fingers under the small space, technically not under, but through. He pulls the note to himself, noting to himself that he should find a way to get it to Richie’s attention as soon as possible. 

Richie pulls an apple out of the drawer in the fridge for a considerable moment before putting it back and closing the heavy door once again, stepping to the cabinets instead to pull out the leftover brownies neatly stowed away into a purple tupperware container. He pulls the rubber top off the container to get to them, pulling out approximately three before haphazardly shoving the top lazily back on.

Georgie rolls his eyes in annoyance at his older brother’s friends’ childishness, knowing fully well that he’d probably have done it too, it’s purely hindsight bias that allows his judging gaze towards the living. He folds the note into a messy square of yellow paper, shoving it deep down into the pocket of his raincoat, still the only form of clothing he can bare to allow himself at the time being. Changing would only take him too far from his home, his feeling of family.

He realizes that as he looks deeper inside himself, he’s missed Richie moseying on to the living room to plop himself in front of the television for his Friday cartoons. Georgie sighs to himself again, Richie truly is clueless, not uncaring, merely unknowing. Georgie follows his way to the couch, sitting only very carefully beside the careless boy. 

Slowly but surely, he pulls the note from his pocket and thinks of how he can make this seem more inconspicuous. He decides to simply drop it to the carpet, making sure it’s unravelled but looks wrinkled, as if it has been run around more ruthlessly than just in a dead boy’s pocket. The yellow paper flutters down, down to the floor, the soft whoosh unheard over the sound of Cartoon Network already filling the sounds in the room.

It takes Richie several moments to notice, though he does for the fact that keeping the living room clean is his chore this week and his mom would have a bird at random paper scattered about and would definitely not give him his allowance, which he knows he desperately will need for his Tuesday movie night.

He picks up the crumpled sheet, his coke bottle glasses amplifying the appearance of focus in his eyes as they scan the scrawly handwriting of his mother. His expression obviously changes, his attitude very clearly changing, realizing he hasn’t even gotten her a present yet. He sits up straighter than before, then moving to get up, holding a curious expression all the way to his bedroom.

He pulls a container from under his bed, holding all of his art supplies in there. He riffals through the markers and crayons until he at least has one of each color, though not all the same brand or texture. Bill constantly tells him to take better care of his art supplies, but he never seems to get around to much of anything he wants to do, much less things his friends want him to do. 

He pulls out a few sheets of colored paper, only having a few left from his last project, but they’re worth using for his mom. Maggie Tozier is the epitome of “trying her best”. Her curly brunette hair is always at least a little frizzled, and her house isn’t always the cleanest, but she loves her family dearly and loves her life about as much.

Richie goes about the messy task of pasting together sheets, cutting jagged shapes that were meant to be hearts but it’s truly the thought that counts, and Mags will love it anyways. Richie lives to please his mother, he and his father are close, having joke after joke that his mom doesn’t understand. He’s close with his dad, but he lives constantly wanting to make his mother happy.

He finally decides on a present he can make, “I owe you” cards, for chores and favors, she always likes them. He gave her some last year for christmas, she’d kissed his forehead and called him the best son ever, it had made his heart swell with pleasure at the time. He wants even more than he consciously knows.

He cuts and pastes them together, writing out random chores he’ll do as he goes, even agreeing that he’d go to the synagogue with his mother at some point if she so chose to use the “I owe you” coupon for it. He’s never liked it much, he has trouble sitting still through it, and he’s never known much about his own religion except that Stan’s family is much better at following it.

He finishes it just as he hears the front door open, it’s probably his mom, she always arrives home much earlier than his dad, who consistently works late to finish up with all his customers, Richie applauds and looks up to him for that.

He bolts to the door, wrapping his arms around his obviously tired mother’s waist, “Happy Birthday!” he says enthusiastically, passing the homemade book of coupons over to her with a pleased expression.

Maggie smiles, “Wow! Nice! You actually remembered,” she grins, rubbing her hand up and down his back before separating from the hug.

Georgie’s heart swell,s but also drop in longing. He misses his own mom, and from what he’s already seen, she’ll never even be the same for Bill. It still all feels like his fault.


	7. Rumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Georgie sees how blissful the hanlons can be, bringing Henry down again without a second thought.

Before the end, Georgie had heard about Mike Hanlon in passing. Mostly backhanded whispers from adults or children in sharp hushed tones whenever he could get brought up. He lives in a town where for some reason, many people seem to have something against that boy. He really doesn’t know why, the reason had never been brought to his attention, and Mike seems like a sweet enough boy. Georgie knows that he’s always been too young to learn that many people who seem sweet have secrets, but also that sometimes people hate people simply for their own bigoted reasons. It’s been revealed thus far into the afterlife. 

He knows this isn’t heaven for him, he’s learning too much. He’s always had a love for learning and educating himself but all this trauma and heartache only makes his head hurt and he just wants to go home and take a nap, but something inside of him tells me that he’s almost done. It’s almost time to rest. He just can feel it, and it leaves a bittersweet taste in his mouth, like when he and BIll would dip lemons in sugar to lick it off. Bill never made a sour face, it’s because he’s too cool to be vulnerable.

Georgie doesn’t know how to find Mike, only that he has to, he’s the last of Bill’s friends that he hasn’t gotten to see yet, and he sees that there must be a lot for him to solve based purely off representations. But he must remind himself, never trust a single story. He walks down the road at sunset, finding a rare solace in the warm glow the sun leaves, everything tinted orange and pink in its path. Georgie knows a lot about the sun, he likes especially to think about where the sun is going now, how she’s rising with a similar glow over a new horizon, waking other little boys and girls now, beginning their days.

A big red building comes into view, the sunlight sitting behind it with a magnificent royalty, and he knows that this is exactly where he’s been meant to find. Georgie picks up his pace, going up to nearly a jog up the hill to where he sees a woman in the garden and a man happily on a tractor, humming a sweet and swingy tune to himself. Finally his eyes catch on a boy sitting on the swing on the porch, rocking only slightly with his nose buried in a book. The book has a stern seeming white man on the cover, looking to Georgie like one of Bill’s history books for class so that’s all Georgie can assume it is, though by what he’s seen, it seems likely enough. 

He shyly walks up the steps, the weathered wood painted white chipping seemingly whenever the wind blows, the place feels homey. Not only is the home lived in, but the people seem lively and present. If he had to choose this over what he’d seen in the shadow of his own home, he’d regrettably choose this any day. Mike’s toe nudges the floor gently in a slow rhythmic pattern as he rocks back and forth, not too much, it would be like reading a book in a car and make him feel ill, and he’s much too invested in the story unfolding in front of him.

Mike sees stories of the past the same way Bill sees his horror novels, suspenseful. He likes the resolution, and it’s even more liberting to remind himself that this really happened years ago once he finds himself back to earth. He only has one complaint. People like himself are always written in a sense of villainous or childish. 

Mike hears a creak on the stairs, his eyes bolting up from his book. He’s learned to be careful, he tells himself that no matter how messed up it is, it’s only survival for him. Georgie freezes, filling with an unknown type of new anxiety that he’s been spotted. Only Bill is supposed to be able to see him. He lets out a sigh of relief, the air leaving a slight fog with his breath as the cold weather rolls into Derry, Maine. October has gone by much too fast. A dog appears behind him though, Mike’s smile broadening. Mike has a nice smile, Georgie decides, only nice people have nice smiles.

The dog pops up onto the swing in moments, snuggling himself up to Mike’s thigh. Georgie hears Mike call the dog Mr. Chips, which makes the young boy giggle to himself. The dog has a silly name but he’s not much better, all of his stuffed animals were named off cartoon characters, which now he regards as uncreative in hindsight.

Something Georgie notice that Mike seems not to is that the dog seems anxious. He’s panting, yes dogs do that, but he seems upset. It doesn’t take long to see why, as Henry Bowers stalks his way over. It’s not Georgie’s first encounter with him, he’s not scared an inch of him, and if he is, he’s pushed it down so much that it’s unrecognizable. He sees Mike seeming the same way, though he sees the flicker of nervousness cross the boy’s deep brown eyes before a spark o anger replaces it. 

“Go away Henry,” Mike says, wrapping his arm protectively around his sandy colored dog, keeping a purely intimidating expression to the best of his abilities. “This isn’t your property,” he tests, he wants to be fearless but his endless encounters make him cautious.

“Oh? Is it not?” the boy counters, seemingly now unphased by the incident at the playground a few days prior. He scoffs, Georgie’s blood boils. His translucent form trembles in anger, already ready to push the teen down the stairs. He wouldn’t hesitate. “Nice dog,” the kid says, a slur running off his tongue smoothly in a way that makes Georgie cringe even more than Mike, Mike has heard it before, Georgie has never before heard someone call someone else that.

“Don’t touch him,” Mike grumbles, his remaining confidence faltering when the bowl haircut-headed boy flicks out his pocket knife, never a good ending, Mr. Chips has scars under is fur that Mike runs his hands over carefully in bed at night. He just wishes he could protect him better. 

If Georgie has learned anything from his older brother, it’s impulsivity. He shoves forward, he feels a rush take him over as he knocks the weapon out of the boy’s hand, both Mike and Henry reacting shocked all in slow motion for Georgie. Something’s changed, he knows what he needs to handle tomorrow even before the sky rumbles with a low hum of thunder.


	8. For That He'll Always Admire Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Georgie to go, leaving Bill dumbfounded in the streets.

The absurd feeling doesn’t go away, it festers inside of his core deep down. Something feels different. Feels complete. He feels himself drawn right back to his home, the place he’s grown, though he seems to have learned more in the past month now than he did in his entire six years in being alive. Perhaps he was always meant to learn, or perhaps it had been saved for his mission after an untimely death.

He’s been feeling unsettled from how absolutely awful the world can be, but since he’d smacked the knife out of that boy’s hand, he’d felt nearly at peace. One thing feels missing. He hasn’t made anything right with his brother, and that has been nagging at him every moment since. He makes the trek back to the old home, the normal pale blue paint on the outside has lost its brilliance, turned a soft gray. It only confirms what his family has become since.

He feels almost compelled to rap his small knuckles on the door but he’s unsure he’d be heard before he bruised his knuckles a deep purple. He passes through the wood, something he couldn’t even have done properly when he’d first shown up in ghost form, unlike how Bill’s movies seemed to suggest, nearly every special “ghost privilege” is a learned skill.

He cuts through the silence. It doesn’t feel like home anymore, he can’t imagine how it makes Bill feel. His brother has always been a quiet boy, sucking in the words of others and finding the inspiration to put them on paper in new and creative ways. For that he’ll always admire him. There no longer seems to be anyone’s words to take in and let out at the tip of a pen, it’s too lonely.

Georgie has never really known loneliness, and he wishes he wouldn’t. He feels it deep inside though, as if it’s being whispered in his ear by a smooth voice. He can’t fix this, only leave Bill an ounce of closure. It’s the least he can do as well as being the best, he’s not allowed any further. This is how it’s supposed to happen. The future looks grim but apparently his actions now determine the course of Bill’s life. And who is he, as a six year old dead boy, to interrupt destiny in her workings.

As soon as he starts stepping up the stairs, he hears the familiar rumble in the sky, just as he had when he went to Bill’s room on the fateful day. His brother had been ill, confined to his bed by his own miserableness. Georgie didn’t like seeing him like that, at least the pain is less noticeable now, but Bill is definitely hiding something. He used to be able to talk about his problems, heck on that day he’d been whining about how he was “dying”. But now, he seems to lock himself in, his feelings held deep within his stomach. Georgie gets the sinking premonition that this had been his fault. He should have been more careful with the boat, less careless and naive. He’s left the stoic figure he’s always had to protect him in emotional shambles.

He goes right up to Bill’s room, chewing the inside of his cheek nervously as he opens the door instead of walking through, it feels more respectful this way. Bill is sitting at his desk, a navy colored pencil loosely in his hands as he shades his picture in. Georgie approaches quietly, looking over Bill’s shoulder at the drawing, it’s sad for Georgie to see. It’s a picture of their family, which would normally be all fine and dandy but the problem is that the members are in full color, their parents and then Georgie in his favorite red and white striped shirt. But Bill has drawn himself all in blue tones, as if he’s just a shadow and is the ghost instead of Georgie. 

Georgie puts a hand on Bill’s shoulder, “Hey,” he says quietly, seeing the shock in Bill’s face turn up immediately before fading into a genuine sadness that wrenches Georgie’s heart. “Can we play outside?” he asks in a small voice.

Bill offers a faked little grin, “Yeah, s-s-s-sounds nice,” he says, pushing the chair back with an annoying screech of wood against wood, breaking the awkwardness only slightly. “Let me gr-grab my coat,” he says with a nod as he stands and starts walking for his closet, yanking it down from the hanger. 

Georgie stands quietly, shoving his remaining hand into the pocket of his yellow raincoat, waiting patiently. Once Bill returns to Georgie’s side, Georgie’s hand comes back out of his pocket unconsciously to take Bill’s hand in his own before dragging him off to the door. Bill takes Georgie’s hand back in his, the texture seeming off, he can’t really touch him. He’s not there. It’s all in his mind, he knows it is, he refuses to accept it otherwise or else it will hurt too much.

The two find themselves downstairs, hearing the rain splash roughly onto the roof, Bill knows he’ll need a bucket to catch the drippage his room will get, but for now that’s not important. He doesn’t know why this feels important but it does, it feels final. He steps out into the rain with Georgie next to him. The droplets drip down his own coat but seem to just fly through an unbothered Georgie.

“So, wh-what did you n-n-need me for?” Bill asks softly, chewing his own chapped lip, the skin peeling off from the constantness of this action, he’s always chewing his lips when he’s upset, he’s been upset a lot lately. 

“I need to say goodbye,” Georgie says solemnly. Next, he produces a small paper boat from his pocket, the water hitting it and dripping off slowly as he hands it to Bill, going from the original translucent appearance to an opaque one as Georgie presses the gift into Bill’s hands. “Sorry it’s not so great, I’m still learning,” he apologizes. 

“It’s p-p-p-perfect,” Bill says quietly as he takes it, “The p-paraffin is even, you r-really did pay attention,” he says before his lips flatten into a tight line as Georgie pulls out another one, the words “S.S. Georgie” written on sloppily in black crayon.

“One for me and one for you, I think that should be just fine,” Georgie says with a nod, fiddling with his own boat back and forth in his hands. “I can’t stay forever. I think I’m all done here, Billy. You have really nice friends. Protect them,” Georgie says simply before placing the boat in a puddle on the curb, letting it wash down the side, chasing it with childish screams of giggles. 

Bill doesn’t respond, keeping his mouth shut to keep the tears in, looking down at the boat in his hands, “S.S. Billy” written on it in the same strokes as on Georgie’s. He stands there in the rain, watching the yellow figure run down the street until he fades away into a puff of fog.

_I remember the view out the back of the car_  
Left the front door wide open  
Maybe it's a sign that we shouldn't be going  
I didn't realize it'd be so hard  
You and me, sitting on the trampoline  
I think one time we fell asleep  
Woke up and felt like it'd been weeks  
And now it truly has been  
(Forgive yourself)  
It wasn't meant to be but it's funny how  
Life dealt this cheat  
To someone who could handle it so well 

_And while you sleep in the pouring rain_  
Just know I'll be with you someday  
And I'll have a good one 'til then  
Just like you told me 

_I wish we could've played that game sometime_  
I wish we'd talked more online  
I'm glad you liked my picture  
I stuck it up inside my locker  
Becoming disconnected  
Really puts into perspective  
How important every friend is who makes you wanna live  
And this time it's okay to cry 

_Black sweatpants and pasta with ketchup_  
When your sister ate the slug it was the grossest thing ever  
Collecting beetles in the garden together  
You're welcome anytime in my dreams 

_Muddy hands and climbing trees_  
Sink-tall while we brush our teeth  
Striped shirts and hide and seek  
It's all coming back to me  
While you sleep on a sunny day  
Just know I'll remember you always  
And no matter how much it hurts  
It's not goodbye, just see you later 

_And while you sleep in the pouring rain_  
Just know I'll be with you someday  
And I'll have a good one 'til then  
Just like you told me 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song lyrics at the end are 16/04/16 by cavetown, amazing song and even more amazing artist seriously.   
> this fic will eventually be on my tumblr at @aestheticdenbrough along with my other fics!


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